Punisher: Nightmare

In this five-issue Marvel miniseries from 2013, Frank Castle’s war on crime takes a surreal and terrifying turn as the Punisher finds himself haunted by a mysterious, nightmarish force. Written by Scott M. Gimple and Jake Thomas, with gritty, shadow-drenched art by Mark Texeira, the story strips away the vigilante’s usual brutal pragmatism to explore a psychological horror that even he cannot shoot his way out of. A tense, atmospheric departure from the standard Punisher fare, it matters for its focus on the character’s internal demons made manifest.